Okay I maybe the Grinch who stole Christmas, but........ I just wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. The overall experience was fine. There weren't any long lines, it was a set price for a car or mini van full so the price wasn't too bad if you pack in the family and friends. We got right in and waited in a short line to pay, after that you fall in line behind that car in front of you and slowly drive through the Brickyard while listening to Christmas music and looking and the many lights. It's great for parents with young children as you can stay warm and toasty in the car seats with out lugging the diaper bag and stroller. There are a wide variety of themes for the lighted displays. Some were easier to identify than others. The lights have a significant amount of spacing between them which for some of the displays made it hard to determine what it was. It's something unique that's fund to do at the holidays once, but once you've had the experience read more

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What a fun way to get in the holiday spirit and drive around IMS, including time on the front stretch, across the Yard of Bricks and past the pagoda. My family and I got dinner in Speedway before at Dawson's on Main and got to the gate a little before 6 p.m. the night before Thanksgiving. There were just a few cars ahead of us. We paid our $25 and drove through for the next 30 min, admiring the 2.5 million lights at 5 mph. I didn't go last year (the inaugural year) but I heard this year the route is longer and there are more lights. It's clear they put a lot of work into this - there is no shortage of things to look at. Since this is a pricer holiday attraction, I recommend filling your car with friends + family to justify the $25 price/car (this is the rate Monday-Wednesday; Thursday-Sunday is $30). Visit on Monday night and $5 of your admission will be donated to United Way of Central Indiana. I recommend going earlier in the night rather than later as I heard wait times can be long. read more

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Sitting in your car -- with the heater on high, listening to some Sinatra Christmas music -- is the way to experience Christmas lights, let me tell you. And then they also let you drive on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track, which is doubly awesome. All in all, Lights at the Brickyard is a pretty neat holiday event for the whole family. Even if you're not interested in Indy car racing at all, just come for the millions and millions of lights. It will really put you in the Christmas mood. And if you are an Indy car fan? You will probably freak out because you get to drive on the front stretch of the racetrack, as well as right over the historic Yard of Bricks. You'll also get to drive through Gasoline Alley, which is where crews work before the Indy 500 race. My young children loved looking at all the lights, and they had fun pointing out the various displays (pirates! storybook characters! elves!). You're driving about 5 miles per hour throughout the whole thing, so you really get to check out everything. Pro tip: There's no stopping! So please, don't stop; just keep driving or else you'll hold up everyone behind you. It took us about 30 minutes from start to finish. We visited on a Thursday, and got there 10 minutes before it opened. If you don't want to wait in a line just to get to the thing, I suggest visiting during a weekday, but get there about 15 to 10 minutes before it starts. If you visit during peak times, you'll probably have to wait for a bit. Another tip: Keep your ticket stub. Several restaurants around the IMS offer discounts if you show your Lights at the Brickyard receipt. read more

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Growing up in Indy, you know the fun and chaos of the Indianapolis Speedway. I never would have imagined how cool their light setup would be. I highly recommend all families loading up the car and experiencing the Lights at the Brickyard. We visited the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it wasn't busy at all. Now as it gets closer to Christmas this might not be the case. If you can, try to go on a weekday as you will save yourself a few dollars. We visited with a 2 yr old, an 11 and a 12 yr old along with 4 adults. Everyone enjoyed the experience. It was a little hard for the kids to 100% recognize the light displays but it was a fun guessing game we played. I like that it wasn't all about Christmas too. There were displays about books, movies, a Yeti, space and of course racing themed items. One of the best parts, driving on the Indianapolis 500 track. Super cool. The whole experience lasts about 20 mins. We drove pretty slow to capture everything for the kids. read more

Lights at the Brickyard - Holiday Decorations Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

I suggest going during the weekday when you can save a few bucks and avoid the crowd. On a Monday evening we drove right in with no wait. It was cool to see the different fixtures, but some people in my car had a harder time making out the figures. I could make out the majority, but a few left me baffled. Some were set up in segments like Cowboy Christmas and Fairytales, making it easier to identify the coordinating displays. I only recall one display being blacked out in the middle due to an obvious bulb burnout. Our line moved, but there were times when we had to brake due to a back up. It's convenient to be able to ride through the exhibits in the car to due cold weather and for those with mobility issues. All in all, it wasn't bad, but there's no need to visit again for a few years. Hopefully, more displays will be added, and they'll be bigger and better. read more

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We drove thru on a Wednesday so it was not very busy. The standard lane was $25 for the car load. And goes up on the weekends to $30. In my opinion it was to expensive. Yes it was neat and it cool to drive down the front stretch and over the yard of bricks. But it is not some thing we will do again. I would rather drive up to Reynolds farm equipment and see the same thing but smaller for free. It took us about 30 minutes to drive the 2.5 miles. The speed limit is 5 mph and they say do not stop. Well the car 2 in front of us kept stopping so we saw brake light most of the time. read more

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Overall, even for a group of just 2 adults, the brickyard lights make for a nice time seeing some fun displays, and driving our own car on + across the historic track & finish line. A little pricey for the light displays some of which are older, but still a good time. If you're looking to visit the track we also suggest the museum tour with trolly stop to kiss the bricks in the daytime for an intimate experience and value. read more

Lights at the Brickyard - Holiday Decorations Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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I feel like writing a list is going to be the best way to do this, so just roll with me here. 1) This is fun to do once, but that's about it. 2) I feel like this is perfect for families with kiddos that require carrying/strollers. Do this, stay in the car, and enjoy the slow drive. 3) It is ridiculously over-priced for what you get. 4) Go on a weeknight at about 7-7:15 and there's no wait. 5) Once you're in line, that's it. I don't even think there are restrooms if you have to get out of the car. 6) Lots of wasted space where there could be a lot more lights. 7) Some of the overhead lights that you have to drive over have much improved over the last couple of years. 8) It would be more fun if the lights actually synced to music, but they just push you to listen to 105.7. 9) There's apparently a gift shop this year! 10) You get to drive over the "real bricks." That's pretty cool. Go, or don't. You might like it! A clever way to use the track over the holiday. read more

Lights at the Brickyard - Holiday Decorations Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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I've found a new holiday tradition! I read a lot of complaints before coming -- too long of lines and too expensive for what it is -- but my group loved it. I'm not sure if we just lucked out but we had no line to get in on a Friday night in early December. We also thought the price was reasonable, especially compared to some other displays that charge by person. $30 on a weekend isn't bad because it's by the car. Take some other people and split it with them. The lights were awesome! It was so fun and cozy to enjoy the hot chocolate we brought and drive around the track. That's another thing I loved about this -- no need to face the cold weather or spend money on extra stuff because you can bring everything you'd like in your car. However, they do have a concessions before going in. My group was happy to get into the Christmas spirit and definitely recommends this! read more

Lights at the Brickyard - Holiday Decorations Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

The kids enjoyed it, I do think $30 is a little pricey, could see a lot of families who maybe couldn't afford to do this. But like I said the kids enjoyed themselves. read more

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Fun way to end Christmas Eve. Surprisingly it wasn't as busy as we thought. 6:30pm on Monday $25 and drove a steady 5mph. Glad the line to get in wasn't under the bridge to get into the speedway or back on 16th street like we've heard in the past. Appreciated cars around us dimming their lights. It would probably be a nice suggestion when you pay for them to ask to dim your lights to enhance the viewing pleasure for all. Nice use of the speedway for the Holidays. The family enjoyed crossing the finish line too even at a slow pace! read more

Our family really enjoyed our visit here and plan to make it an annual tradition! Even though our boy is only 9-months-old we could tell he was rather impressed with everything. His eyes were sparkling and alert for the majority of the drive through. We also tuned into the Indianapolis Christmas song radio station they suggested and sang along with a few of the carols. The tour took about 30 minutes, the boy got a little fussy toward the end but nothing that dampened the enjoyment. We also had a fun time looking at all the lights in addition to watching our little boy. It was especially enjoyable to drive right over what little is left of the original bricks at the track finish line! We plan on discovering some of the other light shows in our new city, but this will always be on our list! read more

We LOVE Lights at the Brickyard! We have been going every year since they started it, and it just keeps getting better and better! The price is reduced if you go earlier in the week, and usually the lines are a lot shorter as well. I love any excuse to get to the track, and what a wonderful way to get in the spirit of the season! They have a separate plaza part towards the end which is new in 2019, but we didn't buy it this year. I am sure it is a neat end to the perfect lights show! I hope this is a permanent holiday tradition for Indianapolis for years to come, as it is one of our favorite things to do as a family each holiday season. read more

We weren't originally sure if we should go to this Christmas time event since the ratings are pretty scattered. It's possible that as out-of-towners it was more interesting to us than the locals for a few reasons: 1. You get to go to the Indianapolis Speedway - one of the most rebound speedway in the world 2. You get to drive on the actual speedway tracks (inner and outer) 3. You get to drive over the Yard of Bricks 3A. Santa Claus! 4. You get to drive through Gasoline Alley Two of the cons to this were, as some others stated: - some of the displays are hard to make out. - some of the bulbs were not working making the displays not fully lit. Overall, it's a great (cheaper than a tour) way to get a group together and get on the Speedway - a once in a lifetime experience for us regular drivers out there! read more

Lights at the Brickyard was pretty cool! It's $30 on Thursday-Sunday and $25 on Monday-Wednesday. You get to drive your car around the holiday light covered track at 5 mph, which took about 15 minutes. They had a huge amount of lights with a lot of variety. I really enjoyed that different turns had different themes, such as fairy tails or the 12 Days of Christmas. I came with a group of adults, but it would definitely be a perfect family adventure. I would have liked to see more lights in the stands, as there were very minimal lights on the right side of the car as we came around the last turn. All in all, it was a fun drive and I hope they do it again next year! read more

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So the reviews here are kind of mixed, right? Well I'll tell you the scenario I think makes sense to see the Lights at the Brickyard. First, go on a weekday -- $25 versus $30. And go with a car load of people! They charge by the car not the person, so that $25 can suddenly become pretty economical for a family or group of friends. Second, go for the experience of driving your personal car on the same track that Mario Andretti and countless other champions have. You can feel the famous finish line of bricks under your tires as you cross the line. That's pretty cool. The displays themselves are good but not amazing. Overall it's fun if you're paying $5 a person, enjoy the significance of driving your car on the track, and want to see some nice light displays. read more

We got there at 7:00 on Sunday, we waited over an hour in line. We did not pay extra for the express pass. As with most things, money talks. The express line was so busy, that the second class folks in the regular line just sat. The lights we good but not special. They are the same lights you see in local displays in city parks for free. The lights are not set to music. We did the state fair lights the night before and they are set to music. The state fair show was much better, and a better value. The wait at the state fair was only 20 min and there was no express line, all customers were treated the same. read more

Lights at the Brickyard is a new tradition in our family over the Christmas season. Cost of admission is $25 per car load Monday-Wednesday and $30 Thursday-Sunday. There is a large sign at the entrance, giving directions on how to access a website on your phone that will play music to go along with your tour through the light displays. We had people behind us, and we were putting wallets away, and closing down our map app upon entering the gates. So we didn't access that music. Instead, we just turned the radio station over the to Christmas one, and it was just as good. There are some new additions this year such as a real live Santa waving out to the passers-by near the Pagoda, as well as family-friendly Plaza Village experience that opens up on December 13. Be sure to check out the pamphlet you get upon admission because there's some nice coupons in there for other holiday attractions as well as a loyalty punch card for several Speedway businesses. read more

This was a great trip! Took my teenagers and grandkids to see the lights. My grandson which is non verbal and has autism loved to be able to see the light and stay in his safe environment at the same time. I would say even thou is costs to go see the lights it was so worth it for my grandson. read more

Once you are in line, there is no going back. It is a fun event and kids would absolutely love it, but our experience was rather nightmare-ish. We sat in line for an hour and it took an additional hour to drive the course. The website says it should take approx 20 minutes. As we were waiting I noticed there was no one exiting for a long period of time. I am guessing there was someone stalling the entire line, despite the signs everywhere that say not to stop. There should be personnel making sure this does not happen. I never wish to go back for fear of being stuck in the car for hours again. read more

Omg. Whoever set this up(Applause) It made me Smile, when I needed it. The radio station that they have make sure to turn it on.

Do not recommend. Cannot tell what any of the light displays are supposed to be because half the lights were out. 2 hour wait and no way to get out of line in case of emergency. Save your $30 and go to the fairgrounds display which was much better! Would not recommend AT ALL read more

First off, I LOVE Christmas lights and everything Christmas but it's a big decision to spend this kind of money to see lights. For me, it was totally worth it! Over 2 miles of some really well done lighted figures. There were definite themes for different areas and it was neat to see things change. Thoughts to share: lines are LONG and entry is SLOW especially if a) the weather is good and/or b) it's a weekend. Understand this will be quite a few hours of your evening. Pack snacks/games for the kids (might pack a portable potty!) and plan to wait in a long line. I paid the extra $10 for the express entry and it still took an hour to get to the entry gate in what initially appeared to be a pretty short line. After paying that much, everyone wants to take their time driving thru. The drive is slow and leisurely but strategically hidden security will keep you moving if you stay in one place too long to snap a picture! There are portapotties at entry gates for last minute breaks but prepare ahead for all in the car. I can't wait to do this again next year! read more

We've been waiting in line for over a hour and have not seen hardly anything, have not even paid yet. Hoping we can leave when we get the opportunity to pay. Very poor planning and sad for the price and opportunity to see lights and getting out of the house. Just terrible read more

We stopped in Indianapolis for the night and found the brickyard as something to pass our time. It wasn't that big a deal, but that could be because we arrived after Christmas was over and the holiday spirit was no longer a thing. The light displays were numerous, but not that impressive. My husband enjoyed the experience of driving over the brickyard, though, so if you're an Indy fan that might appeal to you. We were disappointed that the drive around the track did not include going around the turns. Having never seen the track in person, I'm glad I went, but probably wouldn't do the holiday light display again. read more

So many bulbs out at IMS this year, hard to discern what some of the (tired) displays are supposed to be, no Santa. IMS needs to step up the Xmas light game; State Fairgrounds display is stupendous, and it's cheaper! read more

I struggle to adequately describe how much lights at the brickyard sucks. We went on an off night and still waited 45 minutes to even get on the track. Once you're on the track, you creep along at 2mph at most. The lights are lame and it's filled with advertisements. I would say kids might like it, but mine all fell asleep in the first 5 minutes and I'm so bored that I've typed this whole thing as I'm driving. Oh and it's $30 per car. read more